Pascal Rigo is a French Restaurateur who owns a small "empire" of boulangeries, restaurants, and wholesale and retail bakeries in San Francisco and Mill Valley, California, that operate as La Boulangerie de San Francisco, Bay Bread, La Boulange, and Cortez, Chez Nous, Gallette, and others.
12 Facts About Pascal Rigo
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Pascal Rigo was born in N'Djamena, formally known as Fort-Lamy.
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Pascal Rigo earned a business degree from the University of Bordeaux, was certified as a professional baker.
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Pascal Rigo first moved to California in order to begin importing local wine from France.
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Pascal Rigo stayed in the US to open a bakery in Los Angeles then later, to San Francisco.
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In 1996 Pascal Rigo founded Panissimo Group, which ran the bakery on Pine Street that became Bay Bread.
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Pascal Rigo chose to live, and have an office, at the central location in a former French laundry on the busy thoroughfare Rigo bought, and continues to operate, San Francisco's oldest flour mill, which Bay Bread uses to produce organic flour for its loaves.
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Pascal Rigo originally intended to operate his business as a wholesale bakery, but soon began selling loaves and then croissants directly to the public.
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Pascal Rigo renamed it the "Boulangerie", after painting the word on the colorful awning over the sidewalk, then opened similarly themed dine-in bakeries throughout the city.
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Pascal Rigo has intentionally avoided publicity so as not to encourage a backlash from critics.
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In 2003 Pascal Rigo co-wrote a cookbook, The American Boulangerie: Authentic French Pastries and Breads for the Home Kitchen.
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On June 4,2012, Pascal Rigo sold La Boulange Bakery to Starbucks for $100 million.